Ryder Hesjedal

Ryder "Weight-of-a-Nation" Hesjedal became the first Canadian to win a Grand Tour by finishing atop the podium at the 2012 Giro d'Italia. He rode himself into the top tier of cycling in 2010 thanks to his performance at the Tour de France. After team leader Christian Vande Velde withdrew from the race with an early crash, the Canadian rose to the challenge to take up the GC fight, claiming seventh overall.